Toy and elements for constructing it



Dec. 9, 1924- 1,518,839

A. c. DAY

TOY AND ELEMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTING IT Filed Jan. 17, 1923 43 I Q Q Q? 1 11 1 12 Y aw 5 9 M i ig. a. W .9.

Patented Dec. 9, 1924.

ALFRED CARLYLE DAY, OF MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA.

TOY AND ELEMENTS FOR CONSTRUGTING- IT.

Application filed. January 17, 1923. Serial No. 613,264.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED CARLYLE DAY, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 8 VVrights Lane, Melbourne, in the State of Victoria, Commonwealth of Australia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Toys and Elements for Constructing Them; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to toys and elements thereof, its object being to provide simple elements which allow of building up and dissembling interesting toys of many forms, with or without working parts. With these elements manufactured and natural objects can be imitated.

While the principle of the invention can be associated with different types of mechanical elements such as rods, bars, plates and the like, the accompanying drawing together with the specification will, it is thought, sufiice for one skilled in the art to gain a knowledge of the importance and advantages of the invention and the preferred forms in which it may be embodied. Each element is of any suitable cross section, and dimensions and some of the elements are thickened or weighted at desired parts; but thickening or weighting introduces no novelty.

Besides having bodies of old form my elements have novel means to facilitate the connecting and fastening of the elements in desired relative positions. These means include tongues and apertures, distance pieces, and connecting and locking elements, as described hereinafter.

The drawings herewith show perspective views.

Figure 1 shows a strip element, each end having an apertured tongue.

Figure 2 shows part of a strip having a simpler tongue.

Figure 3 shows part of a channelled strip.

Figure 4 shows a strip having each end set at an angle to the body.

Figure 5 shows a distance piece.

Figure 6 shows a locking element.

Figure 7 shows a locking bar.

Figure 8 shows a connecting element.

Figure 9 shows a simpler connecting element.

Figure 10 shows a modification of F igure 9.

Figure 11 shows part of a constructional element of block form.

Figure 12 shows parts of five strip elements locked together.

Figure 13 shows strips, a shaft, and a wheel, connected together.

Figure 14 shows a locking member which is U shaped and perforated.

Figure 15 shows a wedge for use with the member of Figure 14.

Although I show in Figures 12 and 13 simple combinations, elaborate combinations can be produced. Individually the parts shown in Figures 5, 7, and 15 are not new, nor is it new to have, for connecting purposes, circular holes in toy elements.

In the drawings, 1 indicates elements of L strip form, 2 (Figure 3) is a channelled element; 3 (Figure 11) is a block element. 5, 6, and 7 (Figures 8 to 10) are connecting elements; 8 and 9 (Figures 6, 7 and 15) are wedges, 9 (Figure 5) is a spacing piece, or washer shown circular, any suitable form being usable; and 9 (Figure 14) is a perforated locking member called herein for brevity a clip. Element 7 has aligning flanges '7 to act as shown in Figure 12.

The elements have narrow ends or projecting parts forming tongues 4, so that some tongues are in the same planeseas the ele ment bodies as in Figures 1 and 2, while others extend, as in Figures 4, and 8 to 10, at an angle to the body.

As these tongues are at their base narrower than the element bodies, shoulders 4 are formed, their function being to act as abutments for parts of other elements with which the tongues engage.

After such engagement is effected a fixing means is inserted at the outer side of the added element. The simplest apertures I use, to allow of making connections, are circular holes 12; or plain slots 11, and/or crossed slots 11 But my improved apertures are of simple form cen trally, (shown by circular holes 10) but have diametral extensions, shown as pairs of slots 10 any number of pairs of such slots being extended from a hole.

In some cases the element body, see Fig ures 8 to 10, and part of Figure 4, forms abutments at the tongue base. A tongue of another element is engageable with any pair of slots 10", and is likewise engageable Ill) With a plai'n' 'o slot 11, ah'd with each slot of crossed" s'lot's 11 Theedge slotted holes have, however, functions not characterising Plain Or 'qeseds Thus h le 9.0. 7 2 allow of rotation of any shaft engaging such hole, While the slots 10 prevent parts engaging them from rotating.

The diameter of each hole 12', and the distance between the ends of a pair of slots is equal in each case to the Ie'ngf a slot 11. Tongues & fit slots 11 or 1 pansof slots 10*; and their s6 fitted are held against rotation; But when iii holes 12' the tongues can rotate;

Each tongue has a slot 61" liole to'be used for locking" the eleiiieiit' engaged by the tongue in assembled posi-titin; In each tang-sect Figures- 2 to 4; and 9t 10tlii is a sirnple slot; in Figures 1 and s the tongue has a hole having a pair of dianiet-i-alslots.

In edges of my elements, see the u figu'es in Figures 1' and 8+1 {5 ide any suitable poin oppositelyloka e hicks P each pair of nicks b'eihg eiigage'ahle a lock ing" el'ei'niitthe use of which renders use of the to""gii'e slot unnecessary.

Thus making-j 'eleihe'nt 8 tac ic-u ge 8?. It also hastapering sid'e flanges S". The distance from treatments P to nick's P is predet erihihed to facilitate assenihli-ii g lihl'lts' and the n in desired positio'n's; To a\f(' i' il messa es ti hen the 6onn ectje'd el'el'ne'iits' and locltiiig Ineaii's do not fill the spite e ai 'ailahl'ef on a tong-us, I we .1 -l UH. one or more spacing or distance pieces 9.

A than is sheen taut inzto toy (sea st'r udtion containing a strip 1, in Figure 13, a nd to prevent longitudinal niot ioi'i of the star fel'a'tix' l'y to the m-=5; I attach tiifo clips 9 to the share, one a side of strip. Eaclicl i 'i has otttures 9? adapted to receive a s or edge 9, which will hold the {firefly At '14 theshaft has a fiat terrace a we'c e 9 to enter a notch 15 in the Wheel 15, to fix the latter on the shaft so that neither can rotate inde'pend'ehtly; The strips 1 in Figure 13 are connected by an ele nent 6,1 the tongue i'cofwhich passes through a hole in each strip, the tongue carrying a" distance piece 9 and a Wedge 9 inserted in hole 11, the base of element 6 abutting against a strip.

From the explanations already supplied it will be noted how; in Figure 12, the parts 6', 7', 8, 9 and e a-re utilized. Two strips 1 are; held in line by a part 7; (See Figtires 9', 10, 6; 7 and 5' respectively.) j

I In addition the art 8 in Fi ure 1 2' has its prongsengaging tang-tie nicks 4 and at another part of Figure 12 ttt odistance pieces 9 are used" to fill upthes aee available between a tongue 4:- and a locking wedge 9,

I claiiii:'

1. A toy element of strip fol-in haviiig a tongue of reduced Width, a secondeleii'ient havingan aperture to receiy'e the said tongue, the said tori-Lilo havingshoulders to alo'tit the second element, the said tongue having hicks in its fediesg and a locking ii 'i'enibei l'iaviiigliihhs adapted to enter the said nick's'i 4 2. The construction in claim 1-, but the relation of parts being "such that there is a space between the nicks and the t'oh giie base to receive a distance piece in addition to the second element;

3. A'toy element c oi'niectin'g elenien't having' a base, a tongue formed by an aper tured part 0'1"? reduced Width 'eiitendin g at an angle to the ha'se', the said aperture heiii'g adapted to receive part of another element, and opposed nicks in the tcngue to receive a locking member.

W ALFRED GARtYLE DAY. W ne s:

TURRI. 

